Fourth Wins For Thornton and Starry Highlight Thursday Winter Nationals at CAR

 As the IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway at Eleven Mile Corner near Casa Grande Arizona starts to wind down, some drivers are now starting to assert their dominance over the rest of the competition. Leading the way in those drivers who have "spanked" the field on multiple occasions are Modified driver Dylan Thornton and Stock Car pilot Cameron Starry. 

On Thursday night, the Iowa from California Thornton and Texas driver Starry both won their fourth feature races of this two week series and did so in fine style, despite both having to weather some strong challenges before crossing the line as winners and heading to victory lane. 

The other two divisions saw first time feature winners as North Dakota driver Nathan Speten topped the Sport Mods and with a late pass, Minnesota's Zach Bierman edged out as the winner in the Hobby Stock feature. 

The car count remains solid as he edge through the middle part of the second straight week of racing as one hundred and seventy seven drivers in four classes signed in to race on Thursday night , including five teams making their initial run of the series. 

Using a rotating order of presenting the racing action, on Thursday night it would be Stock Cars up first for their twenty lap main event. Twenty six drivers took the green flag with outside pole starter Dillon Richards taking the initial lead. Chaz Baca Jr was on the move early, driving from the third row into the runner up slot quickly, with the first yellow coming with four laps complete when top five racer Braden Richards plunked the turn four wall and ground to a halt. 

On the green, Richards continued to lead with Baca Jr all over him as eventual winner Starry was already up to fourth spot. Just one lap later, Baca Jr leaned on Richards in turn four and wedged himself into the top spot. By lap seven, when the yellow waved once again for a stalled car, Starry was up to second place. 

Cameron was good using both the low and high side of the track and Baca Jr simply didn't have enough speed to hold back Starry and on lap nine he drove past Baca Jr to take over the lead, just before a grinding crash in turn two eliminated Jim Horejci, Kaden Woodie and Dayton Ullrich. 

The final half of the race would click off nonstop and Starry pulled away from the pack with no one able to stay up with him, much less provide any kind of challenge. He crossed the line with room to spare with Baca Jr coming home second. Curt Lund elbowed his way into third at the midpoint of the race and would remain in that spot the rest of the event with Justin Luinenburg and Dillon Richards completing the top five. 

Thornton won his fourth Modified feature of the series but it was a hard fought battle and he didn't make the winning pass until lap twenty two as he argued for the front spot most of the race with Brandon Beckendorf. 

Thornton started on the pole and took the immediate lead with Beckendorf quickly advancing a row and moving into second. Only two laps into the race, a wild multicar accident in turn three found Troy Morris III sitting upside down on top of another car with several other cars stacked in the pile. All drivers were fine but not so much for several race cars. 

Thornton continued as the leader for only three more laps as while he ran the low side, Beckendorf moved up to the cushion and buzzed right past Thornton on lap five to take over the top spot. He then began to put distance on the pack as it looked like he might secure his first win of the series. Ethan Braaksma moved into third by the halfway point of the race with Kevin Williamson and Justen Yeager next in line. Those two would not stay there however, as Williamson soon after suffered from rear end problems in his car while Yeager faded back into the pack. 

The leaders came upon some slower traffic but Beckendorf navigated them well and continued to maintain his lead. The race changed dramatically however, when a yellow was triggered on lap nineteen by a spinning driver on the front chute. Ironically, Justin Erickson spun off the front bumper of Thornton who was trying to lap him when he inadvertently spun him out. 

Accident or not, the yellow was a huge benefit to Thornton, particularly when Beckendorf, who was so fast on the cushion, opted to race low after the green came back out. Thornton took advantage of this decision, moving to the cushion and building up momentum and with just three laps to go, blasting back into the lead. Beckendorf pushed as hard as he could, but the opportunity had been lost and he had to settle for second behind Thornton who visited victory lane once again. 

Braaksma ran third virtually the whole race with Logan Drake and an eighteenth starting Bryson Yeager completing the top five. 

Bud Martini started on the pole and took the early lead in the Sport Mod main event with Cole Suckow and Nathan Speten moving in behind him. Martini, however, was quick and he was able to build up a nice sized lead in the early going. All this ended however, when top five runner Bubba Stafford Jr spun in turn three and the yellow waved. 

Speten got a great restart as he was able to get to the inside of Martini driving into turn one and he came out of the corner as the leader. Speten opened up a comfortable lead as Martini faded and eventually dropped out of the race. Tyler came a long way through the pack after starting eighteenth, moving into second by the halfway point of the race and seemingly a strong challenger to Speten. 

Speten, however, would have none of that as he pulled away from the pack and no one was able to get near him and provide a challenge. Late in the race, Payce Herrera found extra speed and he passed Johnson to get the second spot. Previous winner Trevor Noonan came home fourth with Suckow rounding out the top five. 

The Hobby Stock feature ran off green to checkers and saw a four car breakaway from the rest of the pack. Joel Magee got the jump on the field and was the early leader. Zach Bierman, Austin Jahnz and Morgan Olmstead lined up behind Magee and the top four pulled away from the field in a high speed train. 

All were running on the top side up against the wall with one or more drivers periodically trying to drop down a lane and break the chain, and while they tried, they found it didn't work and they quickly settled back in line. They continued in this fashion deep into the race where late in the contest, Bierman was able to make a little more progress when Magee bobbled just slightly. 

Bierman got to the inside of Magee and was able to squeeze past him as they came to the white flag. Showing he was indeed faster, he then pulled away on the final circuit uncontested to take the win. Magee settled for second with Jahnz, Olmstead and Tyler Thompson finishing up behind him. All sixteen drivers that took the green were still on the track at the finish. 

Sunny skies and seventy degree temperatures are predicted for the final two rounds of this year's Winter Nationals.  

 

Braaksma, Noonan and Magee New Winners at CAR

 Week number two of the IMCA Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway began on Wednesday night, January 28th and three first time winners found victory lane in racing action conducted on the three eighth mile oval. Ethan Braaksma, Trevor Noonan and Joel Magee were all first time winners here this year while Cameron Starry continued his strong run with his third win of the series so far. 

One hundred and seventy drivers signed in to race in what is now a four division program through the conclusion of the series on Saturday night. Typically the Modified division looses about twenty to twenty five drivers from the first to the second week and that was the situation again this year with sixty five signing in to race on Wednesday. The Sport Mods and Stock Cars generally hold pretty consistent from week one to week two although last year the Stock Cars had their largest car counts for the second week of the series but that is not the case so far this year. The Hobby Stock numbers have been down from start to the present in 2026 and that continued. It should be pointed out though that thirty drivers signed in to race on Wednesday night that hadn't been here at all for week one so there is different look so far to week two fields. 

The format would remain the same for the conclusion of the series with drivers drawing for their starting positions in heat races and the top fourteen automatically making the feature which guarantees heat race winners a starting spot in the mains plus the highest passing points drivers to make up the top fourteen. Everyone else runs a B Feature with twenty six drivers starting the main events except for the Hobby Stocks were everyone running gets to be in the feature. 

The series is in a nice rhythm now with one class hot lapping each night to get the track ready and then the green flag drops, generally somewhere between 3:45 pm and 4 pm. The only stoppage is for track prep before the last set of B Features and then its straight through to the conclusion with the show, depending on yellow flags etc, normally concluding somewhere around 8:30 pm. 

The lineup for the Modified feature, which was first up, looked to be serving up a two car battle between Braaksma and Dylan Thornton who would start in the first and second rows of the main and for much of the contest, that was indeed how it played out. 

However, late in the race, there would be a couple of other drivers that would insert themselves in the battle and down the wire, it was a four car battle for the win. 

Braaksma led early with Thornton moving to second behind him and riding in close formation. Kollin Hibdon, who moved from eighth to fourth on the opening lap was also a factor with Jonathan Mawhinney and Brandon Beckendorf next in line. Chaz Baca Jr, considered a factor in the outcome, was instead in the infield early with mechanical issues. 

Braaksma continued to lead but Thornton moved in close and was making some preliminary moves for a strike in the final few laps when the yellow waved for the first time with just four laps remaining. 

The restart, as restarts often do, completely changed things with both Hibdon and Beckendorf putting a strong challenge on Thornton and Braaksma used that opportunity to pull away from the field. Hibdon threw the first slider but then Beckendorf was able to get past both drivers and he closed rapidly on Braaksma on the last couple laps. One late charge came up just short as Braaksma won by a half car length, or .036 seconds. Thornton was able to hold off Hibdon by a half length for third with Mawhinney rounding out the top five. Only four drivers didn't finish in the quick race. 

The nonstop Stock Car feature saw Starry and Jordan Zillmer trade the lead back and forth before Starry assumed control. Starry took the early lead from the outside of row one with Zillmer, Bo Partain and Payce Herrera close behind. Starry was running the low line and Zillmer was the first to find the top side groove. 

Once he moved to the cushion, he began to quickly close on the leader and on lap seven, he buzzed past Starry on the front stretch to take over the point. Curt Lund, Kaden Woodie and Shelby Williams moved into the top five at this point. 

Zillmer continued to lead but he started to struggle just a bit in the corners, having to back down on entry and losing a little speed and Starry saw this, dropped down a groove and was able to squeeze past Zillmer to retake the lead on lap thirteen. After that ,Starry began to pull away as Zillmer was taking much heat from drivers behind him looking to pass. 

While Starry was gone and drove on for the win, there was quite a scramble on the final two laps as Zillmer couldn't fight off all the challengers with Lund getting past him for second and then Woodie and Partain on the final lap as well. All but two starters were still around to take the checkered flag. 

The Sport Mod feature got off to a rocky start as while Mike Goodwin took the initial lead, only one lap was completed before a collision on the front chute saw Chad Dolan jump the wheel of another competitor and take a hard flip in front of the crowd. He was OK but the car was clearly not. 

Two more laps were made before the yellow flew for a spin with Herrera moving into second at this point. The final seventeen laps, however, would go green to checkers with Bud Martini moving into second and then three laps later, passing Goodwin to take over the lead. 

However, Martini soon had a challenge to his lead as Trevor Noonan, who started ninth and one row behind Martini, moved in to challenge for the top spot. Using the higher line on the track, he was able to drive past Martini on lap eleven and then quickly pulled away from the field. The top three in fact, really got stretched out from the field, all riding comfortably in their positions. 

They would finish in that order with Tyler Johnson and Herrera completing the top five. All drivers finished on the lead lap but there were eight in the infield by the time the checkers flew. 

A mechanical issue greatly affected the outcome of the Hobby Stock feature that saw seventeen drivers take the green. Austin Jahnz started on the pole and took the early lead with Zach Bierman following in his tire tracks and Morgan Olmstead moving into third. 

One lap ten a grinding two car collision took place in turn one that produced a red flag as Wesson Edwards-Miller took a hard hit that shook him up. He walked to the ambulance with some assistance and the race was able to continue. 

Joel Magee had moved past Bierman into second as the first half dozen or so drivers were lined up in tight order, all rolling the high groove around the track. Suddenly, in turn four on lap thirteen, Jahnz's car started smoking badly, he immediately lost power and the field drove past him. He was able to limp  to the infield but that incident gave Magee the opportunity to take over the lead. 

The last seven laps were a two car battle with Bierman pushing hard in the corners, trying to get a run at Magee but he just couldn't get the momentum he needed and Magee would keep him at bay and drive on for the win. Nick Biggs had a strong run to finish third with Tyler Thompson and Olmstead completing the top five. 

All four classes will be back in action on Thursday night as the IMCA Winter Nationals continues.  

Madrid Wins Eichelberger Clash at CAR

 Week number two of the DeVilbiss Racing Chassis, IMCA TV Winter Nationals powered by Pitt Stop Motorsports & Dynamic Drivelines began on Tuesday night, January 27th with the running of the Amber Eichelberger Hobby Stock Clash. Along with the Hobby Stock special, the Gene Freeman Memorial Pit Crew Challenge was held along with the second race of the year by the Figure Eight group of drivers. 

The Pit Crew Challenge is always a fun event with about two dozen teams in various classes entered. The competition requires each team to change a right rear tire with just two crew members as the race car rolls to a halt and then the car makes one lap of the track with the entire process timed. The winning team managed to break the fifty second barrier with the Madrid team taking the gold. 

Seventeen drivers took the green flag for the Hobby Stock special held in tribute to Amber Eichelberger. This race was the only one held on the circle track on Tuesday so the Hobby Stock drivers found the racing surface to be much different than it had been for their previous races run last week. It was much heavier and a bit on the wet slick side, giving some of the drivers fits in the early going 

Three different drivers led this thirty three lap race at some point with Nick Biggs drawing the outside pole and leading lap one. However, he slipped up the track in turn four with Drew Barry sliding to his inside and taking over the lead. Biggs then assumed the runner up slot and he closing followed Barry for a number of laps. 

Anthony Madrid had started seventh but he was on the move, getting past both Joe Peterson and Morgan Olmstead to assume the third spot. He continued to charge as he got by Barry for second, only to slide up  the track on one of the remaining slick spots and give Biggs back the second spot. 

Austin Jahnz moved into the top five by the halfway point but he was nearly a half lap behind as the field was spread around the three eighth mile track. This all ended with seventeen laps completed when Gage Curran slowed with overheating issues, triggering the first yellow of the event and bunching up the top five. 

Barry continued to lead with Madrid and Jahnz, who had moved up to third, closing following him. Madrid looked to the inside of Barry on several occasions but Drew continued to hold his line and maintain the top spot. 

Barry was just five laps away from victory when everything unraveled for him. As he drove into turn four, his car pushed way up the track and he saw Madrid and Jahnz pass him. Barry then rolled to a halt and needed a wrecker to leave the track as a right front suspension issue ended his race and his chance for victory. 

Madrid inherited the lead but he had Jahnz following him closely. Jahnz looked to the inside of the leader, pushing hard into the corner. The outcome was delayed once more when a two car pile up in turn three slowed things with just two laps to go. 

The restart saw Jahnz give it his best effort as he drove hard into  the corners but Madrid held his line and would cross under the duel checkers with several car lengths on the field as the winner. Jahnz took home second with Zach Bierman charging up to third. Peterson and Biggs completed the top five. 

Winner Madrid and the Madrid Racing Team donated their first place winnings of one thousand dollars to the Eichelberger benefit fund as victory lane proved to be a very emotional place for many. 

The evening concluded with an open practice session for all classes of cars racing the Winter Nationals which resumes on  Wednesday night with a full program for four IMCA divisions. At least twenty drivers that did not race during the opening weekend were on hand Tuesday to get some laps in advance of week two. 

Four New Winners as Winter Nationals Reaches the Halfway Point

 The IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway reached its halfway point with the running of its fourth straight night of racing here on Saturday night, January 24th. When all was said and done, four drivers, two of them local competitors, won for the first time here this week and a couple of winning streaks were halted at the same time. 

Along with two Arizona drivers, Chaz Baca Jr and Eric Winemiller who won for the first time, Nebraska driver Morgan Olmstead and Texas' Shelby Williams also earned their first victories of the Winter Nationals. 

The car count was again outstanding as for the fourth straight night there were well over two hundred drivers that signed in to race in the four classes plus the Mod Lites that competed. Comparing this year's turnout to that of 2025 for the opening week of the series, all four nights have seen the Modifieds top the biggest night of last year while the Sport Mods and Stock Cars have run very similar to last year's turn out. Only the Hobby Stocks have lagged from last year and that number has been relatively small. 

For the second straight night, rain showers have skirted the track with there actually being a few sprinkles that have fallen from time to time but nothing that has slowed the action. And just after the final checkered of the night waved, it did indeed start to rain just a bit harder so we managed to avoid what was considered to be a major weather outbreak for the area. 

Qualifying would be similar to previous nights with B Features needed for all classes except the Hobby Stocks and twenty six drivers would make the main for all classes. 

Stock Cars hit the track first for their twenty lap main event, a race that would eventually see three different leaders before the checkers waved. David Pearson held the pole position but as has been the case often so far this week, the outside pole has been the place to be and it was again as Curt Lund, a previous winner so far this week, used that outside line to take the early lead. Mike Vondrak, Cameron Starry, going for his third straight win and Dillon Richards battled hard for second. Richards eventually was able to grab the runner up slot as the top ten or so drivers ran in tight formation. 

Lund looked to be in good shape as the race neared its halfway point when suddenly he pushed up the track in turn one, opening the door for Richards who drove past to take over the lead. Starry, Shelby Williams who started seventh and Vondrak were all close behind as the halfway point was reached. 

Williams was gaining ground as he moved up to second and when Richards pushed up the track in turn four just two laps later, Williams was right there to take over the lead. Two laps later the first yellow of the race slowed the action when Starry slowed on the back chute. 

Back under green, a big pileup occurred that slowed the race once again and eliminated Vondrak from the running. This set up a four lap dash to the finish and Williams pulled away from the field as he was strong on the restart. He would not be challenged as he then went on for the win. Richards faded back just a bit, losing spots to a hard charging Chaz Baca Jr and Lund who made a comeback after falling back a bit. Mike Albertsen completed the top five. 

Baca Jr quickly exited his Stock Car and jumped into his Modified and the results were excellent for him as he then led from start to finish to take the Modified feature. Joey Price started on the pole but when he left Baca Jr a sliver of and opening on the inside, Baca Jr jumped right at the chance and he led the opening lap. After that, he was gone with no one to challenge him. 

Ethan Braaksma moved into  the second spot with Kollin Hibdon next in line as the top three put distance on the field. This race had a long period of green flag racing which saw the field start to stretch out with Kevin Williamson and Troy Morris III moving into position behind the top three. 

It looked like this race would go green to checkers but a late spin set up a two lap sprint to the finish. Baca Jr was not about to slip up at this point as he again pulled away from the pack and opened up some distance on the field, not about to misstep as he drove on for the win, making for a very successful evening's racing. 

The green flag restart was beneficial to Hibdon as he got past Braaksma to take over the second spot and Ethen was not able to regain that position before the checkers. Tom Berry Jr put on a charge from start to finish as after starting fifteenth, he was able to get all the way up to fourth at the finish with Troy Morris III completing the top five in a finish that could be seen at any central Iowa track all Summer where all five could be found in 2025. 

Three time winner Dylan Thornton had a tough night. He drew poorly for his heat and was the last guaranteed starter in the main that didn't have to run a B Feature. He started fourteenth in the main and was only able to gain one position before the checkered flag fell. 

While the Modifieds were not able to accomplish a green to checkers feature race, the Hobby Stocks stepped to the track next and did just that with twenty five of them going nonstop for twenty laps. 

After coming close to victory earlier this week, Morgan Olmstead was not about to let his brother or any one else keep him out of victory lane on Saturday. He started on the outside pole, quickly built up a sizable lead and with no yellows to bunch up the pack, drove for the win. 

In the early going, Austin Jahnz was fairly close but Olmstead gradually pulled away from him and they would run alone, comfortably unchallenged in the top two spots. 

While the top two spots were settled early, a dandy battle for third lasted much of the race with Greg Kohl fighting with Joel Magee and Nathan Kohl. They raced in tight formation for much of the race and in the last couple laps, Nathan was able to drop down a lane on the track and drive by both Magee and Greg to take second with Magee doing the same to Greg to complete the top five. 

The Sport Mod feature got off to a terrible start when in turn one on the opening lap, a big scrum in the pack sent former feature winner Tyler Johnson flipping where he was then slammed by another car. Fortunately no injuries were the result but several drivers were eliminated. 

After a second yellow for a two car spin, the first lap was finally completed with Matthew Frazier jumping into the lead. He was quickly challenged by Eric Winemiller and two laps later Winemiller drove into the lead. 

Two more yellows in the first six laps kept the field bunched but finally all out racing broke out and Winemiller continued to lead with Trevor Noonan, who started fifth, driving into the second spot. Payce Herrera moved into third with Troy and Nathan Speten next in line. 

Noonan began to reel in Winemiller and closed to his rear bumper just after the halfway point and on lap thirteen he slid under Winemiller to take over the top spot. This, however, seemed to ignite Winemiller and he came back strong, returning the favor with his own slider and retaking the lead. 

At this point, Winemiller seemed to find another gear and he started to pull away from Noonan and open up a lead. As Noonan lost ground, he then began to be challenged for second by Troy Speten who had started ninth and as Winemiller drove home for the win, somewhat of a surprise as he has been mostly on the "struggle bus" until tonight, Speten moved into second with Noonan settling for third. Completing the top five were Herrera and Cole Suchow. 

Despite the threatening weather, the biggest crowd of the week was on hand for Saturday night's show and they were rewarded with another competitive and swiftly presented program. A note in passing here that since there are a very large number of Canadians on hand, both in the pits and in the grandstand it would seem only fair that their anthem also be played. Back in my own upper Midwest where there are often Canadian drivers on hand racing from either Ontario or Manitoba, the Canadian National Anthem is routinely played weekly. 

Everyone now gets just a little time to relax and refresh. Practice is scheduled for next Tuesday with the final four nights of racing scheduled for next Wednesday through Saturday. Four classes will be in racing action with the Mod Lites on their way to Florida to race. 

Thornton Remains Perfect at CAR Winter Nationals, Martini Joins List of Winners

 Night number three of the IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway at Eleven Mile Corner near Casa Grande saw some dominating performances made by winning drivers. Dylan Thornton, Cameron Starry and Bud Martini all led from start to finish to win their feature races while Zach Olmstead was just a single lap away from continuing his sweep of Hobby Stock action when the win was stolen from him by Austin Jahnz with a perfectly executed slider on the final circuit. 

Car counts for the event continued to remain strong with two hundred and seventeen drivers, plus the Mod Lites, signing in to race on Friday. In fact, the car counts in the Hobby Stock, Stock Car and Sport Mod classes were the highest of the week so far with fifteen drivers making their first runs of the week. The race teams are doing tremendous work returning crashed and rolled cars to the track to race while for the first time this week we see drivers like Zane DeVilbiss, Mike Petersilie and Wyatt Maxwell going to either back up rides or borrowed rides to continue racing. 

To clarify some information from the Thursday night show, apparent fourth place finisher Ethan Braaksma was disqualified for losing a muffler during the race, a malady that also hit a couple of competitors in Modified action during the Wild West Shootout. Ethan told he that he saw it fall off and to the credit of the tech inspectors, they are doing their job and being consistent about the enforcement of the rule. 

The Mike Wedelstadt team, that is supplying the car that Tom Berry Jr is racing this week, did not lose a motor during the Thursday night show. A fitting failed that allowed the oil to leak out of the motor, causing the big smoke that ended his night. They believe that the motor wasn't damaged but will find out when the racing starts. As it turned out later, everything was fine with Berry Jr. racing from eighteenth to sixth in the main event. 

I must say it is amazing just how intolerant many race drivers are. Thursday night's track was indeed overwatered, leading to a choppy and "elbows up" track but despite having been served up a fine track for every other show, a number of the drivers were whining like they had been racing in a plowed field all week! Well, that one night hiccup was cured on Friday with the track being back on point again, as it has been for much of the last three weekends of racing. 

Among the strong performances by drivers this opening week of racing, Thornton's has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd, taking all three of the Modified feature races presented so far and only being challenged during the Thursday night show. 

Total domination was again the order on Friday as Dylan started on the outside pole, grabbed the immediate lead and then drove away from the field. A yellow was triggered before a lap could be completed when Texas driver Jared Maupin, starting on the outside of the second row, went head on hard into the first turn concrete, slowing the action. 

A second attempt saw Thornton again power away from the field with Braaksma moving into second. Chaz Baca Jr. and Kollin Hibdon were both on the move from the fourth and fifth rows respectively and by the halfway point of the race, had moved into third and fourth. 

A lap fourteen yellow saw Tate Johnson, having his best run with a top five going, roll to a halt and be done for the contest and on the green, while Thornton again pulled away, both Baca Jr and Hibdon were able to get past Braaksma for position. They would finish in that order with Bryson Yeager cracking the top five at the end. 

Only five drivers failed to finish the contest and all were on the lead lap at the finish with just the two yellows to slow the action. 

While Thornton has been very fast for all three shows run so far, it is only fair to note that he has also been incredibly lucky when it has come to starting positions. With nearly one hundred Modified drivers in the pits, starting positions for qualifying races and features are incredibly important and in that regard, Thornton has been one lucky driver. In six races run so far, counting heats and features, he has only had to gain five positions in total to claim six wins and has started on the front row for five of the six races, with only the Thursday night feature not the case and in that race, he started third! It will be interesting to see just how fast he is when he has to come from mid pack in an event, if and when that happens this week. 

Cameron Starry started on the outside pole and led the entire distance to win the Stock Car feature race and make it his second straight victory after also winning on Thursday night. Early on he was challenged by Shelby Williams driving a team car with the Texans running first and second after Williams got past Mike Vondrak for the spot. 

The race was slowed three times in the first six laps including a big pileup in tricky turn one and a Braden Richards wall pounding  but then the last fourteen laps ran off green to checkers. Vandrak and Williams had a nice battle for second, swapping the spot a couple times before Vandrak settled in at the halfway point. 

Bo Partain moved up to third and that is how they would run the rest of the race with Starry holding off a couple of mild challenges from Vondrak. Chaz Baca Jr rounded out the top five with his second straight top five finish of the evening. 

The Hobby Stocks again ran third in the running order on Friday with some familiar participants beating on each other in the early going. However, Zach Olmstead got the jump on Joel Magee to lead the first lap as he tried to get away from the madness going on behind him. Tyler Thompson made a strong move as he got past Magee to take second in the early going. 

They would run in that order for the first half of the contest with Austin Jahnz, who started seventh, up to fourth at the crossed flags. A yellow with five laps to go for a spinner slowed the action and bad luck struck Thompson under the yellow as his car died on the back chute and needed a tow to the pits. This moved Jahnz, who had gotten past Magee, up to second when the final sprint took place. 

Olmstead continued to lead but Jahnz remained close as the leaders rode the wall in the final few laps. However, Olmstead, who seemed to be in control, suddenly and surprisingly "cooked " the first turn, going into and over the berm and with his pause, Jahnz drove under him to take over the lead just as the white flag flew. 

To prove the point that you just never know what's going to happen, with Olmstead seemingly in full control, suddenly there was Jahnz to collect the checkers as the winner with Olmstead several car lengths behind in second. Magee finished third while local driver Charles McDaniel III was next in line while Morgan Olmstead came from twenty fifth to round out the top five. 

Bud Martini just rolled into town from Minnesota yesterday but it took him little time to thaw out his equipment and put a spanking on the Sport Mod crew. Martini, who does have a record of success at this track in recent years, added to that as he started on the pole for the feature, drove away in the early going and led the rest of the field far back in his wake in what turned out to be a nonstop main event. Cole Suckow moved into second early but had nothing for the leader. 

The top five drivers lined up early and spaced themselves out, with the midpoint running order of the event being carried all the way to the checkers. However, no one had anything for Martini, who built up a lead that was nearly a full straightaway over the rest of the pack. Suckow would finish second with Danny Wagner, Danny Concelman and Tyler Frye completing the top five. 

Rain showers skirted the Pinal County Fairgrounds for much of the racing program and while they brought a chilling wind and falling temperatures, they did not hamper the racing program which was the quickest one run to date this week. 

Racing will resume on Saturday with another full program of IMCA racing. 

Thornton, Johnson and Olmstead All Repeat Winners at CAR

 With one hundred and sixty three drivers between three classes looking to unseat Wednesday night winners, you would think that someone could get the job done. However, that proved to not be the case in second night racing action during the IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway as Modified driver Dylan Thornton, Sport Mod driver Tyler Johnson and Hobby Stock driver Zach Olmstead all repeated their opening night victories with only a new face in victory lane for the Stock Cars with Cameron Starry, who finished as the runner up on opening night, taking the win. 

The pit area was swelled with race teams once again on Thursday with two hundred and twelve drivers signing in plus the Mod Lites with an incredible ninety four Modifieds topping the list. Numbers in the other three classes continue to run very similar to what last year's event brought but the Modifieds continue to grow and grow. 

Thursday produced the first significant change in racing conditions for this track in two weeks of racing. The track had stayed remarkably consistent for the entire Wild West Shootout and had started this event very much the same. However, Thursday found the track much wetter with lots of traction as the cars were pulling hard all the way around the big three eighth mile oval and the corners got quite choppy. Heat race action was white knuckle as the drivers found much character, particularly in the corners. Massive track prep action following the heat races by two graders and lots of other heavy equipment returned the racing surface to a more expected state for the track which is a high speed oval, no matter what condition the dirt may be in. 

Whether it was the condition of the racing surface or just an occurrence of the day, the racing was also much rougher than on opening night. There were plenty of grinding wrecks through the course of the evening and much equipment torn up and the B Features continued to test the patience of both drivers, track officials and spectators with their frequent yellows and misadventures. There also seemed to be increased aggressive efforts by some drivers with the Hobby Stocks being especially guilty in that regard, with much rough driving that bordered on the dirty side and led to some major issues. 

The program was very much similar to the opening night action with the Stock Cars shrunk down to four heats and they opened up the action. Everything else was on par with Wednesday night's program. 

Stock Cars hit the track first for their main event, the only feature race that would prove to have a different winner. The outside line appears to be the best at getting an early jump and Kaden Woodie used that groove to take the early lead. He was chased by Dillon Richards and Cameron Starry in the early going as opening laps in the Stock Car event proved to be smooth. Richards soon closed on Woodie and on lap nine Woodie was a bit slow through the corners and Richards motored past him to take over the lead. Starry continued to run third with Chaz Baca Jr in the Gallaher car and Bo Partain  following as the race reached its halfway point 

While Richards still led, now it was Woodie that had picked up the pace as he closed to the rear bumper of the leader. With a strong move in turn three, he slipped under Richards to grab the lead, only to meet the yellow flag that was flown for a stalled car, negating his pass for the lead. 

Richards maintained on the restart but things went deeply downhill for Woodie who spun in turn one on the restart, came down across the track and with the field tightly packed, triggered a massive pileup that included many of the top ten racers. Seven drivers were eliminated in the grinding crash including challengers Justin Luinenburg, Mike Vondrak, Shelby Williams and Woodie. 

Richards still was the leader but the restart of the restart gave Starry a chance to get the jump on Richards and with a bold move, Cameron drove under Richards one lap later to take over the lead with just four to go. He then pulled away for the win with Richards fighting off challenges from Partain to finish second. Opening night winner Curt Lund drove home fourth with Baca Jr. completing the top five. 

The Modified feature saw Thornton lead from start to finish but it was a much better race than that would indicate, and indeed, produce the closest finish of the week so far. Thornton started on the outside pole and jumped into the initial lead with Jonathan Mawhinney moving into second as the yellow flew after only one lap for a pair of spinners. 

Baca Jr was on the move and he drove into second and began to close on Thornton. The top runners moved to the cushion that appeared to be the fastest route around the track with slide jobs the best way to make passes. By the halfway point of the race, Baca Jr was pressing Thornton for the lead with a couple of slide jobs attempted but Thornton always crossing over and keeping the point. 

Ethan Braaksma had moved up to third with Troy Morris III and a charging Brandon Beckendorf next in line as the yellow waved for the second and final time right at halfway. Thornton continued to lead back on the green and he was able to maintain his advantage but as the laps started to run down, Baca Jr again closed up. 

Things got very interesting in the final few laps as the two leaders caught a pair of slower cars. It seemed that Thornton had the action covered with the lapped cars down low but somehow Baca Jr found round to throw a last corner slider once again on Thornton who appeared to be a bit surprised to see Baca Jr. Thornton crossed him over, they raced to the line and Thornton was able to edge out the win by .021 seconds over the hard charge of Baca Jr. Beckendorf came from fifteenth to finish third and Kollin Hibdon from eighteenth to fourth with Morris III completing the top five. 

Tom Berry Jr was scheduled to start ninth in the main event but engine damage down while winning his heat saw him sidelined for the main event. 

Another repeat performance saw Tyler Johnson win his second straight Sport Mod main event. He started third on the grid but slipped back behind Kaden Woodie to third in the early going with everyone chasing Tyler Frye. However, it took Johnson just three laps to drive under both Woodie and Frye and take over the top spot which he maintained the rest of the way. 

The last fifteen laps of this race ran off green to checkers and Johnson, just like Wednesday night, pulled away from the pack to let them fight it out for second. Frye had some struggles with the cushion with slowed his efforts as Woodie moved past him for second. A good race for that position saw Trevor Noonan pass Woodie for second but then Woodie returned the favor by the midpoint of the race. 

As Johnson was gone, attention turned to the attack of Jake Sachau who started seventeenth on the grid  and was not even in the top five by the halfway point of the race. But soon after that he really picked up speed. Lap after lap, he would slide job drivers into the corners, gaining position after position with clean Sprint Car like action. 

He made the top five, getting past Matthew Frazier and then Dakota Girard and he just kept coming. He got Noonan for second and on the final lap, while Johnson was long gone, he drove past Woodie to take the runner up slot. 

There was plenty of rough and tumble action in the Hobby Stock feature and unless officials intervene, I have the feeling its just going to get worse as the week progresses. Anthony Madrid took the initial lead from the pole while Joel Magee and Nathan Kohl were banging on each other before the first lap was completed. 

Madrid continued to lead with Magee, Kohl and Bingston Rogers tight on his tail as the leaders ran in tight, single file formation. Magee was using his bumper to alert Madrid to the fact that he wanted by, and several times that action got to the edge of over aggression. 

Finally, a tap going into turn one on lap eight saw Madrid spin to the inside of the track. Madrid appealed to track officials but got no satisfaction and went to the tail with Magee now inheriting the lead. Kohl was right on his rear bumper with Morgan Olmstead now up to third. 

On the move was Wednesday night winner Zach Olmstead who started fifteenth but gradually moved his way into contention by grabbing spots as others either dropped back or took each other out. A massive pileup when Rogers spun in turn one following a lap eight yellow really changed the running order. Two more yellows followed and by lap thirteen, Zach was up to second, having edged past his brother for the spot. 

And he appeared to be the only driver with the speed to drive under Magee and when Joel got hung up a bit on the cushion with just five laps to go, Zach did just that as he drove into the lead. He then pulled away to take his second straight win while Magee was able to hold off Morgan for second. 

Austin Jahnz and Charles McDaniel III completed the top five with almost half the field either in the infield or pits by the time the checkers flew. No doubt there was plenty to hash over in the pits following this race. 

Friday night will see the same classes once again in action. Just a note: While I am not charting the Mod Lites, it should be noted that at least six of them have rolled over already in the first two nights of racing action, with several of the crashes being of the "breath taking" variety. Just my opinion, but I believe this track is just too fast for these cars and it is not safe to be racing them here. Hopefully they find another venue for them in 2027.  

Thornton Tops Opening Night Modified Field at CAR IMCA TV Winter Nationals

 The Central Arizona Raceway near Casa Grande is the place to call home if you want to see lots of racing in the month of January. Coming off a spectacular six night series for the Wild West Shootout, the track and its workers took just a very short break before turning right around to present another mid Winter spectacular, this time the IMCA TV Winter Nationals with potentially another eight nights of racing. 

With just a one day break followed by a large practice session, on Wednesday night, January 21st the speedway was back in action as sit hosted a five division program of IMCA racing with well over two hundred race teams filling the large pit area at CAR. Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks were all racing a full program plus the Mod Lites were also in action. 

The opening night car count proved to be very similar in numbers to last year's event with the Modified and Stock Car fields up slightly while the Sport Mod and Hobby Stock class both saw a slight dip for 2025. The biggest gain was in the Modified class where eight more drivers signed in to race than last year's opener. Just over two hundred drivers in total plus the Mod Lites were in opening night action. 

The format for this year's event would find all drivers drawing for starting positions with the heat race winners guaranteed a starting spot in the main event. The rest of the guaranteed starters would be based on passing points with either fourteen or sixteen pulled from the heat races, depending on the class. The remainder of the fields would be determined by B Features with twenty six drivers starting all main events. The exception on opening night was the Hobby Stocks where with twenty seven drivers signing in, all drivers would be running the main event. 

There was plenty of racing for the fan who certainly gets his money's worth at a show like this with twenty night qualifying races proceeding the main events. Fortunately, the one spin rule was in effect for both the heats and B Features and they all moved along at a quick pace, making for a fast paced program despite the vast numbers of competitors. 

All feature races would be twenty laps in length and Modifieds would be up first for their main event. Zane DeVilbiss used the outside pole to take the initial lead with Troy Morris III and Thornton moving in behind him. Four laps were completed before the yellow flag flew for debris on the track. 

On the green, Tom Berry Jr, who had moved up into the top five, spun in turn one and the yellow flew once more. On the green, Thornton picked up the pace as he dropped to the low groove and was able to get past both Morris III and leader DeVilbiss on the following lap to move into the lead. 

He then began to put distance on the field as the laps clicked off and with no yellows to gather the field up behind him, he gradually began to expand his margin. By the halfway point, Thornton had a comfortable lead as Chaz Baca Jr. was the driver on the move. He started sixteenth but by the halfway point had moved up to fourth and continued to press forward. 

With Thornton and Morris III comfortably holding their positions, Baca Jr continued to hustle and during the last few laps was able to pass DeVilbiss for third as Brandon Beckendorf completed the top five at the finish. Remarkably, only one driver failed to finish the race. 

Despite the Stock Cars normally being one of the most competitive classes around, Curt Lund has found a way to stink up the competition early during this Winter series here at CAR. After dominating and winning the Prelude on Sunday night by a large margin, he turned right around and did the same thing again on Wednesday during the opening round of the Winter Nationals. 

It took him seven laps to move forward from his third row starting spot, but once he got the lead he checked out on the field, much as he had done on Sunday. 

Chaz Baca Jr. jumped out of this Modified into the Gallaher X car and took the initial lead in the main event, leading the first few laps over Justin Luinenburg and Lund who quickly moved to the front. The yellow waved with four laps completed for a slowing driver and on the green, Lund pressed. He tried the outside on leader Baca Jr but found that line to be blocked so he simply changed directions, dove to the inside and drove past the Arizona driver to take over the top spot. 

After a second yellow with seven laps completed for a spinning car, things came unglued for Baca Jr who spun in turn one and collected several other cars in the biggest mess of the event. Baca Jr would be done in a wreck that also collected front runners Shelby Williams, and Cole Suckow. 

The last thirteen laps of the race ran off nonstop and Lund simply drove away from the field, building up a big lead and running home unchallenged. There was, however, some excellent battles going on behind him for top five positions and Luinenburg held off a late charge from Cameron Starry, who started tenth, to finish as the runner up. Mike Vondrak and Dillon Richards also battled hard behind them with heavy contact on the final corner finding Vandrak taking the fourth spot. 

It was a regular competitor at CAR, Tyler Johnson, that would dominate the Sport Mod feature. He led from start to finish, grabbing the lead from the outside pole and then pulling away from the field for an easy win. 

The yellow waved three times before two laps could be completed but then after that it was green flag racing for the next nineteen and Johnson motored away from the field. With no challengers in the first half of the race, he built up a comfortable advantage. 

Eventually Payce Herrera, who started on the pole and battled with Braydon Whitfield early, would claim second and under the long green flag scenario, seemed to be closing the gap on the leader slightly. However, as the race continued, that margin seemed to stabilize and in the final few laps, Johnson was still comfortably in control. 

Whitfield held off a late charge from Cole Suckow to claim that third spot with Danny Wagner completing the top five. 

Zach Olmstead was in charge from start to finish to claim the Hobby Stock feature. While he had a comfortable lead for most of the contest, his brother Morgan made things interesting in the final few laps. 

Zach took the early lead from the outside pole and built up a nice working margin as Austin Jahnz, Eric Knutson and Joel Magee battled for second.  Nathan Kohl hung with this group with the first yellow waving with eight laps completed. They stayed in the same running order until the halfway point when Morgan appeared for the first time among the top five after charging up from the twelfth starting position. 

As Zach continued to lead, Morgan continued to charge as he got past Knutson, Magee and Jahnz to move into third. And just what he was looking for occurred with just three laps to go when a spin slowed the action once again. 

However, he would find his brother just a bit tougher to pass and despite pushing hard, Zach was still in control and refused to yield the lead as the brother combination finished first and second. Jahnz, Knutson and Magee completed the top five. 

All racing was complete shortly after 9 pm in the fast paced program. Round two of the Winter Nationals is schedule for Thursday night with the same divisions again in racing action.